DETECTIVES investigating an armed robbery outside Tesco Express in Four Marks last Thursday, have renewed their appeal for witnesses. The incident occurred at just before 6pm when a Securicor vehicle was delivering cash to the store's ATM machine, on the A31 at Oak Green. A man approached one of the security guards, who was carrying a cash box, and threatened him with a small silver handgun. The assailant ran off with the cash box and got into the passenger seat of a silver BMW parked nearby. Armed police and Hampshire Police's spotter plane were scrambled, but the robbers managed to escape with the money. Alton-based Detective Inspector Peter Gallagher, who is leading the investigation, deplored the serious nature of gun crime in a normally law- abiding rural community. And he thanked those members of the public who had already come forward with information relating to the incident. The getaway car was abandoned in Fairfield Green. The suspects then made their way in to Blackberry Lane via a secluded footpath, and then possibly towards the A31 Winchester Road. Det Insp Gallagher added: "We are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen one or possibly two men acting suspiciously in Blackberry Lane or near to the junction with Winchester Road sometime after 6pm." A spokesman for G4S Cash Services (UK) confirmed the crew of one of its vehicles had been attacked during the violent incident, but neither of the two couriers making the delivery had been injured. Cash-in-transit operations are becoming prime targets for armed hold-ups. The spokesman added: "G4S Cash Services (UK) continues to work closely with trade unions, the police, the Government and relevant local authorities to develop initiatives that will curtail the growing number of violent attacks taking place against the cash-in-transit industry." Speaking on behalf ot the British Security Industry Association - the umbrella body for the industry, BSIA chief executive David Dickinson, backed the concerns expressed by G4S and appealed for wider support in its fight against violent crime. He said: "Cash-in-transit robbery is on the increase and this attack is yet another reminder of the seriousness of this type of crime. "It is a human crime perpetrated against men and women going about their everyday working lives performing an essential public service. "The industry has invested considerable resources in technology, training and systems, but we can't do it alone and we are calling on the Government, the police, local authorities, retailers and financial institutions to help us tackle this crime." British General Union general secretary Paul Kenny is backing the calls. He said: "We welcome the efforts already being made by the British Security Industry Association and G4S Cash Services to protect the safety of our members. "We must not forget that every cash-in-transit attack has a human victim and we urge the Government to devote more police resources to the issue to ensure that both employees and the public, in these difficult times, are safe and secure." Anyone with information about the Four Marks incident should contact Alton CID on 0845 0454545, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
